Device for marking superimposed webs of material



y 2, 1958 l. BOSEL ETAL 2,844,203

DEVICE FOR MARKING SUPERIMPOSED WEBS OF MATERIAL Filed March 8, 1955 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 y 1958 BOSEL EIAL 2,844,203

DEVICE FOR MARKING SUPERIMPOSED WEBS 01-" MATERIAL Filed March 8, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent DEVICE FOR MARKING SUPERIMPOSED WEBS OF MATERIAL Ingeborg Biisel and Karl Bullmer, Stuttgart-Stammheim,

and Hugo Riissler, Traunreut, uber Traunstein, Germany, assignors to Karl Bullmer, Stuttgart-Zuifenhausen, Germany, a firm Application March 8, 1955, Serial No. 493,036

9 Claims. (Cl. 16489.5)

This invention relates to devices for marking superimposed webs or lengths of fabrics and materials of all kinds, for example, dress or clothing materials. For the purpose of marking pockets, buttonholes, seams, notches or the like, in such webs of material, devices are already known which consist of an electric motor provided with handles and having a vertically disposed shaft and a needle driven by the shaft, the motor being displaceable with the needle against the action of springs, on pillar or post-like guideways which are fixed to an annular supporting plate by means of which the device is positioned on the superimposed webs.

With known devices of this type, it has been shown that with all loose fabrics such as woolens, mixed fabrics and the like, the marking does not remain sufiiciently visible, because the hole made by the needle with such loosely woven materials is rapidly closed again.

The present invention has for one object to provide a device of the said type in which this disadvantage is obviated, and accordingly the invention consists essentially in that a heating means is provided for heating the needle before the needle penetrates the webs of material, whereby the marking holes are ironed by the needle into the webs of material. On the other hand, however, the markings may be easily and completely eliminated in the event of a mistake, since the fabric is not damaged by the penetration of the needle.

For a better understanding of the invention, three embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a first embodiment of the marking device,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross-section taken along the line IIII of Figure 1 and illustrating on a larger scale the heating means of the device,

Figure 3 is a perspective view, on a larger scale, of a device similar to that shown in Figure 1 but provided with a different constructional form of guide sleeve,

Figure 4 is a plan view of a stripper arranged on an assembly plate,

Figure 5 is a section on the line VV of Figure 4, the assembly plate being fixed to the housing of heating means of the type shown in Figure 3, said housing also being shown in section, and

Figure 6 is a section on the line VI-VI of Figure'S, the stripper and the marking needle, however, being shown in elevation.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, an electric motor 1 is provided with two handles 2 and is displaceably mounted on two guide rails 3 against the action of springs 4. These springs may, if necessary, be arranged inside the guide rails 3 or in the handles 2. Arranged at the lower ends of the guide rails 3 is a supporting plate 5 which is preferably of annular form and which may be placed with the appliance on the superimposed webs of fabric. A suitably shaped boring needle above the supporting ring 5 and consists, for example, of

two plate-like heating elements 10 which are arranged spaced from one another and which are interconnected by two walls 11. The space between the two heating elements 10 is filled with a good heat retainer 12, for example, felt or the like, which is formed with a central guide sleeve for the needle 8. Arranged on each heating element 10 is a thermostat 13, which may be so designed that it may be set, for example, to 180 and 240 C. The heating means is so arranged on the bridge 9 that it is spaced above the topmost web of fabric and air has access from all sides. Obviously, the heating elements 10 could be replaced by infra-red heaters.

All dress materials, even soft or sensitive materials such as, for example, woolens, tulle or the like, may be reliably marked by means of the device. Boring needles 8 of different diameters may be used for different types of material and the needles may also be used in the cold,

warm or hot state. In order to cool the heating means as quickly as possible, the appliance may be provided with an air cooling system by the fact that the driving shaft 6 of the electric motor 1 is adapted to be provided with a vaned wheel in addition to a boring needle 8.

The manner in which the appliance operates is in other respects the same as with the known appliances not equipped with heating means.

In the constructional embodiment illustrated in Figure 3, the guide sleeve or bushing for the needle 8 is made i in two parts. One half of the bushing is comprised in a fixed part 14 which is secured to the base ring 5 of the marking device. The length of the part 14 depends on the diameter of the ring 5, since the needle 8 is generally moved up and down at the centre of said ring. The

movable part 15 of the guide bushing has a tapered rib 17 which bears against the needle 8, so that the latter is held in a guide groove 18 of the fixed part 14. The pressure of the movable part 15 on the needle 8 is produced by compression springs 19 which are expediently arranged on the free ends of guide rods 16 between the fixed part 14 and a yoke member 20. The spring pressure may also be modified to conform to actual requirements.

In the constructional form which is illustrated in Figure 3, the fixed part 14 of the guide bushing is provided with heating means 21 which is enclosed by a housing 22. Since the housing 22 in the illustrated embodiment extends up to the guide surface for the needle, said housing is also formed with a tapered or wedge-shaped guide groove 23 corresponding to the groove 18. If the heating means were to be arranged on the movable part 15, the housing for such heating means could be provided with a projection corresponding to the rib 17, but this would not be essential.

An electric conductor 24 for the heating means'21 is led from the driving motor, preferably through a guide column (not shown), so that there is no obstruction when the device is operated.

The operation of the device of Figure 3, is as follows:

By application of pressure to the yoke member 20, the movable part 15 which is connected fast to the guide rods 16, may be displaced from the needle 8, so that the needle may be easily removed and replaced by another. After inserting the other needle, the yoke member is released, so that the movable part 15 is again urged against the needle 8 by the pressure of the springs 19, so that the said needle is moved into the operative position.

In the embodiment of Figures 4 to 6, 25 indicates a stripper device which has a forked end 26 defining an opening 27, and which is mounted upon the plate 29 in Patented July 22, 1958 such a manner that the marking needle 8 can slide in the opening 27 of the fork.

The stripper 25 is also formed in its central part with a slot-like opening, or slot, 28 in which is guided a pin 30 fixed to the mounting plate 29.

Acting on that end of the stripper 25 remote from the marking needle 8, is one end of a compression spring 31, which spring is supported at its other end on an abutment 33 fixed on the plate 29 by screws 32.

The plate 29 may be fixed by suitable fixing means to the underside of the housing 22 of the heating means 21. It is convenient to arrange the plate 29 in such manner that the stripper 25 and the elements connected thereto are disposed inside the housing 22. In this manner, the stripper and said elements are protected against damage and dirt.

As will be seen from Figure 6, a sleeve 36 formed Wit a screw-thread 35 is screwed into one side wall of the housing 22. Extending through this sleeve 36 is a pin 38 which is under the action of a spring 37 and which projects at one of its ends from the housing 22. The front end of the pin is adapted to extend into an opening 39 in the stripper 25 when the latter is forced back from the operative position. The spring-loaded pin 38 therefore serves as a stop device for the stripper when the latter is to be held in a position removed from the marking needle 8. This may be the case, for example, if the marking needle 8 is to be used for marking a material or cloth of which no parts remain adhering to the said needle in spite of heating. This is the case, for example, with woolens. The marking needle 8 then only slides in the heated guideway 40. The device is adapted to be readily fitted on material-marking machines in which the v marking needle is heated. If there should be no space available in the housing 22 for the stripper and for the elements connected thereto, the device according to the invention may also obviously be arranged on the outside of the housing.

We claim:

1. Device for marking superimposed webs of material, comprising a support structure, drive means mounted on said support structure, a needle for penetrating the webs of material and rotatable by said drive means, means for moving the needle toward and away from webs of material to be penetrated, and heating means for heating the needle before said needle penetrates the said webs, the heating means comprises two plate-like heating elements, said elements being spaced apart to provide a gap therebetween for the needle as it is moved toward and away from webs of material, and a thermostat is mounted externally on each of said heating elements.

2. Device as claimed in claim 1, including in the gap between said heating elements, a central guide sleeve for the needle, and including heat retaining material, such as felt, which fills the space between said elements and around said guide sleeve.

3. Device for marking superimposed webs of material, comprising a support structure, drive means mounted on said support structure, a needle for penetrating the webs of material and rotatable by said drive means, means for moving the needle toward and away from webs of material to be penetrated, heating means for heating the needle before said needle penetrates the said webs, a guide sleeve mounted adjacent said heating means for guiding said needle, said guide sleeve comprising two parts, one of which parts is fixed in the supporting structure and the other of which is movable in a direction at right-angles to the needle axis, and comprising also means for causing said movable part to bear resiliently upon the needle, said guide sleeve supporting said heating means.

4. Device as claimed in claim 3, including rods slidably mounted in said fixed part of the guide sleeve, said rods having portions projecting at one end of said fixed part and carrying said movable part, a yoke member extending between and connecting portions of said rod projecting from the opposite end of said fixed part, and

compression springs between said yoke member and the fixed part of said guide sleeve.

5. Device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the fixed part of said guide sleeve is formed with a wedge-shaped groove opposite the needle guideway, and wherein the movable part'of said guidesleeve has a correspondingly wedge-shaped rib with a flattened point.

6. Device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said fixed part of the guide sleeve is surrounded by a housing containing said heating means.

7. Device according to claim 6, wherein the housing containing the heating means extends up to the needle and has an opening corresponding to the wedge-shaped groove in the fixed part of said guide sleeve.

8. Device for marking superimposed webs of material,

comprising a support structure, drive means mounted on said support structure, a needle for penetrating the webs of material and rotatable by said drive means, means for moving the needle toward and away from webs of material to be penetrated, means for heating the needle before said needle penetrates the said webs, a spring loaded stripper arranged to bear on the marking needle below said heating means, a guide pin, the stripper being forked at its front end and having a slot-like opening in which engages said guide pin, and a compression spring one end of which is connected to that side of the stripper remote from the marking needle, an abutment, the other .end of the spring being connected to said abutment, said guide pin, the compression spring and abutment being arranged on a plate which is fixed to the underside of a housing for said heating means.

9. Device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the plate forms abottom cover for said housing, and said stripper together with the elements connected to said stripper, are arranged on that side of said plate located within the housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED'STATES PATENTS 24,968 Warburton Aug. 2, 1859 1,316,027 Halbreich Sept. 16, 1919 1,316,028 Halbreich Sept. 16, 1919 2,086,238 Platt July 6, 1937 2,227,254 Glassberg'et al Dec. 31, 1940 2,244,550 Chandler June 3, 1941 2,424,124 Seernuller July 15, 1947 2,597,726 Hall May 20, 1952 2,611,434 Mugler Sept. 23, 1952 2,622,680 Yakubik Dec. 23, 1952 

